


A Summer At Camp York

by cazei



Series: Newsies Works by Readeatsleeprepeat [3]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-20 09:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10659801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazei/pseuds/cazei
Summary: " 'Whatever you're planning, don't,' Race says, 'really, we're almost done cleaning.'Naturally, he gets a glob of red paint dropped on his head for his efforts.Turning around to glare at the offender, Itey, Race gets another glob to the back. Soon enough, Race is cowering, everyone is laughing, and the quartet doesn't stop launching paint."-Ah, summer camp, the place of nightmares. Unfortunately, this is the same for even the toughest of characters. Paint wars, camp fires, and prank wars are all in store for this summer!





	A Summer At Camp York

**Author's Note:**

> this has been in my drafts for a g e s and i'm not going to read before posting. anyway. comments will inspire me to write! give me suggestions!

The air smelled distinctly of fish, the scent wafting in from the small lake. There are see piles of burnt wood scattered around the tree line, old fires not being bothered to get picked up. Councilors scurry about, trying to get their campers into lines based on cabin. Someone’s screaming about a frog, another is chasing them with said frog.

Race’s feet sink into the mud, coating his, thankfully old, shoes as he thinks, 'It’s good to be back.'

But, truly, it is. His favorite people always come, the boys from the Manhattan cabin. They all live in various places around the country, and he never sees them outside of camp. (In fact, Race is one of the only campers in this age group actually from New York City.)

There’s Crutchie, who’s the groups honorary ‘cutie’, and he’s to be protected at all costs. Really, all costs.

Then there’s the groups "Romeo", who is, actually, named Romeo. Poor guy hasn’t even caught a fish in the small, nearly polluted late, let alone the eye of a girl. Or anyone else for that matter.

Next come Blink and Mush, who Race can’t even bare to seperate when thinking of them, and he really hasn’t seen them apart, ever, has he?

Specs is the smart nerd, with a knack for pyrotechnics, becuase naturally that’s what every group needs.

Skittery, Bumlets, Itey, and Dutchey are never apart. Unless, of course, they’re planning something devious and are about to wreck havouck on the other cabins. Then again, they always are.

Then, you’ve got Jack, Manhatten’s self-appointed leader. The two councilers, Oscar and Morris, would beg to disagree.

Race considers himself to be the glue, sort of. Most of the other cabins tolerate him—he tends to be the ambassador for every international(cabinal?) argument. Which, yes, happens a lot. Cabin’s are homes, don’t dishonor them—Especially since he always runs the totally-allowed card games after curfew.

There’s other cabins, of course. Ten, actually, in total, with around that many kids in each. Every cabin is named for a New York Borough—the camps owner, Joe Pulitzer, tends to be overobsessed with the city—and has a boys' and girls’ counterpart.

It’s simple. Manahtten tolerates all, Brooklyn will fight all, The Bronx vexes all, Staten Island avoids all, and Queens hates all.

Most of the kids in this age group—15 through 17— have been going since they were children, as have nearly all of the Manhatten boys and girls. Most of the other cabins, too, actually.

Race moves to stand between Itey and Specs, attempting to get closer to the front of the pile, as to get his stuff before Brooklyn and Queens start fighting over first picks.

Ah, camp.

Morris, dreadfull, terrible Morris, steps forward. He addresses the Manhatten guys.

"Once I call your name," he says, pretending to ignore all the glares directed at him, "step forward and grab your lugage off the pile."

Race goes nearly first, Higgins is before more of the other’s last names after all, before it happens.

"David Jaccobs," Morris says before moving onto the next name.

"We’ve got a new camper?" Race asks Jack, who is also getting his luggage.

Jack looks confused. "Yeah, I guess. This hasn’t happened since, what, Specs?"

"Yeah," Race confirms. "At least he’s in Manhattan," Race says, looking to see the new boy approaching them, his sweeter vest and tie are a glaring contrast to Race’s own jeans and t-shirt, "Brooklyn would eat him alive."

Naturally, Spot Conlon was also grabbing his bags.  
"Watch yourself, Higgins," He says.

Jack chuckles when he leaves. "Had I said that, Manhatten would need to find itself a new leader."

"What's that s’pposed to mean?" Race says, confused.

"You’re a natural ambassodor, Race," Jack says, the new boy, David reaches them and starts to struggle with his luggage. "I think if Spot, or anyone else for that matter, touched you, it’d be a camp wide crisis."

"Don’t be stupid," Race says.

"Where else would we get the cigarets and cigars?" Jack grins, Race glares at him. Jack then turns to David. "You’re new, yeah? I’m Jack Kelley, unnofficial Manhatten leader."

"Leader?" David asks, still struggling with his duffle. Jack takes his bag from David, adding it to his free shoulder, and begins to walk away, causing David to have to follow him; All before responding.

"You have a lot to learn, Davey."

'Davey', Jack informs him as they settle into their cabins, has an older sister, who is running the Manhatten Girls’ cabin with Katharine. Apparently, the two have been dating for a year now as well.

Race throws his bag onto his top bunk, the bottom belonging to Crutchie who needs help reaching the top bunks.

"Hey, Jack?" Race calls. Everyone else ignores him and continues unpacking. Jack, who is still filling David in as he unpacks on his bottom bunk(since when does Jack share a bunk?), looks up.

"Yeah?" Jack answers.

"What's the first activity?" Race asks. Oscar, the cabins other counceller, glares at the two of them.

"It's not his job to know," Oscar says.

"And to answer your question," Morris continues from the doorway, "it's lunch, cleaning and organizing the art, music, and camp store rooms with Brooklyn, dinner, then campfire."

"Great, Brooklyn for three hours. What could possibly go wrong?" Bumlets mutters, flopping onto the bottom bunk of his bunkbed.

Dutchey, from the top bunk, responds. "Actually, it's four hours."

Blink snorts. "Wonderful."

-

Turns out, with Brooklyn means, "We'll take the camp store," from Spot Conlon, Brooklyn 'leader', before all of them leave.

The music room is already spotless (ironic, isn't that word?), however, so Manhatten (just the boys cabin, the girls were assigned to clean out some old councelers cabins) is just responsible for the Art Room.

Now, the Art Room, Camp Store, Music Room, and everything else like it are all in the same building, separated by a long hallway. If Race walked out the door and over to the next room, he'd be in temporary Brooklyn territory.

Crutchie, Jack having settled him at a desk, organizes papers with David. Blink and Mush sweep, Blink going insane with the broom and Mush hardly containing the dirt with the dust pan. Itey, Skittery, Bumlets, and Dutchey all organize art supplies at one end of the room, eerily quiet. Specs and Romeo help Jack with the tables, reorganizing them, while Race tries to scrub paint off a countertop.

Race keeps glancing back to the four boys organizing paints and glues, a sinking feeling in his stomache. Eventually, he feels it's his duty to stop the upcoming apocalypse. Especially since Morris and Oscar disappeared somewhere and can't do it themselves.

He pulls himself off the countertop and hesitantly approaches the quartet.

"Whatever you're planning, don't," Race says, "really, we're almost done cleaning."

Naturally, he gets a glob of red paint dropped on his head for his efforts.

Turning around to glare at the offender, Itey, Race gets another glob to the back. Soon enough, Race is cowering, everyone is laughing, and the quartet don't stop launching paint.

Jack, seeing paint on his newly cleaned floor, stops the ambush.

"C'mon now, guys. Unless you wanna clean instead of go to dinner, I'd suggest you knock it off. Race, go jump in the lake or something," Jack says, knowing fully well that Race can't swim. Hey, there's not of a lot of pools with easy access in Manhatten for him to use!

Race grumbles but complies by shuffling towards he door.

"I hate all of you," he announces before leaving.

"We know!" Several Manhattan boys chorus back before the door shuts.

As soon as he looks up, he's glad he did. He'd nearly walked into Spot.

"Woah, Higgins. Walk through a tornado, did you?" Spot says, clearly amused. Race ignores him and continues walking.

"No, I walked through Itey, Skittery, Dutchey, and Bumlets," Race calls over his shoulder.

Spot audibly winces, sucking in air. "Bad luck. Don't trail paint down the hall, they'll probably make us clean it."

"Don't have much choice," Race says, trying to remember when he's spoken to someone outside of Manhattan for so long. "I've gotta go wash up, and that involves walking through this hallway. Then, my cabins going to get covered with paint as I try to get to the showers."

Spot laughs. "Still can't swim?"

"Still live in Manhattan."

"I can swim," Spot says, sounded offended like Race would forget.

"You live by the docks," Race reminds, reaching the end of the hallway. "You were practically born swimming."

Spot laughs and waves him away, as if dismissing him. "Good luck with the paint, Race."

A crash sounds from inside the camp store.

"Good luck with your cabin, Spot."

Spot glares at Race as he leaves the Activity Building. I really should just soak the kid, Spot thinks.

-

Dinner at the Manhatten table is atrocious.

Naturally, there isn't a set table for each cabin, but that's how it always ends up.

Race, soaking wet, sits next to Itey and Crutchie. Itey is also covered in paint, so his avoidance of all people and quick Navy shower was pointless.

However, seeing as Crutchie and everyone else is also covered in paint, Race is glad he left.

David is still adjusting, so everyone is trying to act as calm as possible, but that's not possible with Manhattan.

It's chaos--Jack is trying to talk to David, David is trying to listen, Crutchie is trying to eat. Everyone else is busy shoving food in their mouths, yelling at each other, and stealing food--but, it could be worse.

Just as Race thinks this, Skittery launches mashed potatoes at Itey.

Oh, no.

A mere thirty seconds later, and the entire Manhattan table, all genders, are throwing whatever they can get their hands on at each other, Race included.

Crutchie joins in as well, and attempts to launch a glob of peas at Jack, but he misses and they sail behind him. Right into Sling's, leader of Queens, head.

The room goes silent. Crutchie is nearly cowering, and Race has a drink ready to throw at Sling if he tries anything.

Brooklyn comes to the rescue, launching their food at the Queen's leader.

"Ha!" Spot laughs as he manages to hit Sling in the nose.

Manhattan is forgotten as Queens and Brooklyn battle for the first Unofficial Cabin Wars. Staten Island, as predicted, avoids the fight. The Island kids keep their heads down and continue eating, as if people aren't dying around them.

Okay, Race admits, maybe the dying bit was a touch dramatic.

As usual, The Bronx tries to join the fight, but is ignored by Brooklyn and Queens. Counclers shout, trying to end the war, but it doesn't work until Spot Conlon stands on the table and shouts for everyone to knock it off.

Morris speaks first. "You little-"

He gets cut off by an apple to the head, curtsey of Brooklyn's own Spot Conlon.

Then, as if we have one mind, everyone quickly stands and rushes out of the Mess Hall. That is, except for Staten Island, who are still eating as if nothing has happened.

Ah, it’s good to be back.

**Author's Note:**

> is there's anything y'all want to see, give me a comment! please. Comment anyways. i'm desperate.


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